Dad passed away on Wednesday, after a month in the hospital.

We are a very close family and we have spent the last month together at the hospital, solidifying this closeness, saying all the things we might need to say, loving each other. We had a number of visitors, and, though I had suspected, I really got to see how much Dad meant to so many people. The love that surrounded our family throughout this very difficult time made the road we were traveling on so much easier to bare. Dad was comfortable and not really in pain. He was happy to see so many of his friends and family and stories were shared. My sister and I finally got to meet Ken, Dad’s best friend since childhood, which was great; his love for Dad and our family is beautiful. And we spent many hours listening to another of Dad’s best friends, Mike, regale us with the ridiculous stories of his and Dad’s mischief.

Truthfully, it all still seems a little surreal. We spent some time at the hospital after Dad passed and then came home, the first time in a month that the three of us were all in the house at the same time. There are little waves that crash over us from time to time, as we look at pictures, or tell stories. Those waves are tough but important. Dad is already so missed, but we know that he lives on in us.

We are going to be making some of Dad’s favourite food, ribs, curry chicken wings, carrot cake, etc. I will be sure to post the recipes as we make them. We will also be drinking Scotch in Dad’s honour, which is no hardship for me (thanks Caelin!). I encourage all of you to have a little Scotch (Caelin, you can have a number of drinks of Scotch) to celebrate a wonderful life.

Thanks to all the amazing Not Crocker readers who’ve stuck with the site, despite my lack of posts. I will be back to regular scheduled programming starting October 13th.

To Dad, we love you forever, we love you for always.